Word: inventors
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Burning Man festival this summer, but they're not just for fun. Fashioned from a single piece of laminated paperboard (plus a floor and a door), they are sturdy, wind resistant, waterproof, well insulated and require no special skills or tools to assemble--perfect, according to their inventor, for use as temporary housing in a war or a natural disaster. The Shade Pod, an open-air version with legs, is just right for lawn parties. INVENTOR Sanford Ponder AVAILABILITY Next summer, starting at $745 TO LEARN MORE icosavillage.net...
...smoke that has been frozen into place--it's cloudy, translucent and virtually weightless. It's also surprisingly tough. Chemically similar to glass, aerogel is used on the space shuttle to trap tiny spaceborne particles traveling at high speed so they can be brought back to Earth for analysis. INVENTOR NASA AVAILABILITY Now TO LEARN MORE science.nasa.gov/aerogel...
...chimney, turning turbines and generating enough electricity to power 200,000 Australian homes. It may sound like science fiction, but the project is on track to get approved by the Australian government. If completed, the $800 million solar tower will be the tallest man-made structure in the world. INVENTOR Jorg Schlaich AVAILABILITY 2005 TO LEARN MORE www.enviromission.com.au
...amusement-park water slide. A Kevlar rescue chute is installed in the outer wall of a building. In an emergency the unit springs open and the chute uncoils to the ground. It takes about 19 seconds to slide to safety from the top floor of an 11-story building. INVENTOR Eli Nir AVAILABILITY Now, $20,000 TO LEARN MORE www.ames-1.com...
...date-rape drugs: gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and ketamine. Just place a drop of liquid on the coaster, and rub it in with your finger. If the spot turns blue, toss that cocktail. Fifteen million of these coasters have already been distributed; look for them at 7-Elevens around Christmastime. INVENTOR Francisco Guerra AVAILABILITY Now, 40¢ a coaster TO LEARN MORE www.drinksafetech.com...